Dispensing carton or receptacle



1962 K. T. BUTTERY ETAL 3,049,283

DISPENSING CARTON OR RECEPTACLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 8, 1960 INVENTORS Kwmef/z ffiufferq C0 ff; 2 K/Ce W K? M A TTOR/VEV Aug. 14, 1962 K. T. BUTTERY ETAL 3,049,283

DISPENSING CARTON OR RECEPTACLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 8, 1960 United States atent 3,049,283 Patented Aug. 14, 1962 3,049,283 DISPENSING CARTON R RECEPTACLE Kenneth T. Buttery and Curtis D. Rice, Kalamazoo, Mich., assignors to KVP-Sutherland Paper Company, Kalamazoo, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 7,294 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-43) This invention relates to a dispensing carton or receptacle.

The main objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a carton or receptable in which the contents, when the carton is completely closed, are effectively sealed and at the same time may be quickly opened to permit access to the contents and effectively reclosed.

Second, to provide a receptacle having these advantages which includes an inner top member with a break-out portion which is effectively protected against accidental fracturing when the receptacle is handled or stacked or otherwise manipulated.

Third, to provide a receptacle having these advantages which may be economically produced of relatively light stock and at the same time is strong and rigid and is suitable for repeated handling.

Fourth, to provide a receptacle having these several advantages which while effectively sealed may be very quickly opened and reclosed and repeatedly opened as may be desirable for removal of the contents, such for example as cotttage cheese, a part at a time.

Objects relating to details and economies of the invention will appear from the description to follow. The invention is defined and pointed out in the claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a closed receptacle embodying our invention with portions broken away to show structural details.

Fig. 2 is a fragmental vertical section on a line corresponding to line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view with the outer cover member removed.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on a line corresponding to line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the outer cover member.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the inner cover member.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the receptacle with the outer cover member removed and the removable section of the inner cover member removed.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the outer cover member in closed position after the breakout portion has been removed.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the blank from which the body of the receptacle is formed.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary view illustrating one manner of manipulating the outer cover member.

In the embodiment of our invention illustrated the receptacle is formed of an integral blank and comprises a bottom portion 1, opposed pairs of side walls 22 and 3-3. The side walls 22 are provided with sealing flaps 44 on their vertical edges which are lapped upon and secured to the walls 3-3. This provides a downwardly tapered receptacle of rectangular cross section.

In the accompanying drawing the contents are indicated at 5, for example the receptacle is well adapted for packaging of cottage cheese and the like.

The closure comprises the inner cover member designated generally by the numeral 6 dimensioned to fit within the receptacle in downwardly spaced relation to the upper edges of the walls thereof and provided on its edges with sealing flaps or flanges 7 which are secured to the inner sides of the side walls as by adhesive, indicated at 8 in FIG. 2, this sealing being continuous so that the contents are sealed within the container. However, the inner closure member hasa fracturing zone 9 spaced from its inner edges. This fracturing zone is conventionally illustrated but is such that the inner portion 10 of the cover member may be broken out and removed as illustrated in FIG. 7 leaving the flange-like projections 11 in downwardly spaced relation to the upper edges of the side walls.

The outer cover member designated generally by the numeral 12 is provided with upwardly projecting springable flanges 13 on its edges which springably engage the inner sides of the flanges 7 of the inner cover member, see FIGS. 2 and 8. In the embodiment illustrated the op posed flanges of the outer cover member are provided with tabs 14 on their upper edges which are lapped upon and secured to the outer sides of the walls which they overlap, desirably by adhesive indicated at 15. The outer end portions of these tabs are desirably not adhesively secured so that they may be grasped or engaged and an upward thrust or pull fractures the adhesive connection '15 ermitting the outer member to be removed by continued movement. This exposes the inner cover member so that the portion 10 thereof may be broken out and removed thereby providing access to the contents, as illustrated in FIG. 7.

After a portion of the contents have been removed the outer cover may be replaced, as illustrated in FIG. 8, and provides an effective enclosure for the contents. The portions of the inner cover member at the outer sides of the removed portion constitute supporting flanges 11 for the outer cover member, see FIG. 8. The outer cover member serves as a guard for the fracturable zones as they are not likely to be broken out or fractured in handling. With this arrangement of parts when the removable portion of the inner cover member is removed the wall of the receptacle is still reinforced by the remaining portion of the inner cover member so that the walls cannot be easily distorted in grasping or handling the receptacle. With the outer cover member in position the contents are effectively protected and like receptacles or other receptacles may be stacked as the outer cover member is capable of withstanding a very substantial amount of downthrust and the side walls cannot be sprung inwardly or outwardly under any normal handling or like stress. If only one finger piece 14 be disengaged the other serves as a hinge for the outer cover member.

We have illustrated and described our invention in a highly practical embodiment thereof. We have only illustrated one embodiment thereof and that in a rectangular structure, but it is desired to point out that our invention may be embodied in receptacles of cylindrical or various other shapes and in various sizes. It is believed that the disclosure made will enable those skilled in the art to embody or adapt the invention as may be desired.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A receptacle comprising a rectangular body member having outwardly inclined side walls, an inner cover member fittingly supported within said side walls in downwardly spaced relation to the upper edges thereof and having upwardly projecting flanges on its edges of a length corresponding to the width of the side walls and fixedly and sealingly secured to the inner sides thereof, said inner cover member having a rectangular fracturing zone disposed adjacent to but in inwardly spaced relation relative to the receptacle side walls defining a removable section, and an outer cover member dimensioned to be fittingly and retainingly engaged within the flanges of said inner cover member and having upwardly projecting flanges on all edges thereof springably connected thereto and of a length corresponding to the width thereof and disposed within and in frictionally retaining releasable engagement with said flanges on said inner cover member, the portions of said inner cover member at the outer side of said fracturing zone thereof when said removable section is removed projecting inwardly from the receptacle side walls and constituting a continuous inwardly projecting flange on the side Walls with which said outer cover member is supportedly engageable when said outer cover member is inserted after the break out portion of said inner cover member has been removed with the flanges of said outer cover member in springably yielding frictional engagement with the flanges of said cover member, opposed flanges of said outer cover member having tabs projecting from their outer edges constituting finger pieces, said tabs being foldable over the upper edges of the adjacent inner member flanges and side walls with end portions thereof in downwardly projecting overlap-ping relation to the outer sides of the side walls and detachably secured thereto.

2. A receptacle comprising a rectangular body member having outwardly inclined side walls, an inner cover member fittingly supported within said side walls in downwardly spaced relation to the upper edges thereof and having upwardly projecting flanges on its edges of a length corresponding to the width of the side walls and fixedly and sealingly secured to the inner sides thereof, said inner cover member having a rectangular fracturing zone disposed adjacent to but in inwardly spaced relation relative to the receptacle side walls defining a removable section, and an outer cover member dimensioned to be fittingly and retainingly engaged within the flanges of said inner cover member and having upwardly projecting flanges on all edges thereof springably connected thereto and of a length corresponding to the width thereof and disposed within and in frictionally retaining releasable engagement with said flanges on said inner cover member, the portions of said inner cover member at the outer side of said fracturing zone thereof when said removable section is removed projecting inwardly from the receptacle side walls and constituting a continuous inwardly projecting flange on the side walls with which said outer cover member is inserted after the break out portion of said inner cover member has been removed with the flanges of said outer cover member in springably yielding frictional engagement with the flanges of said cover member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,875,412 Boiardi Sept. 6, 1932 2,118,591 Clark May 24, 1938 2,398,405 Brooks Apr. 16, 1946 2,719,663 Meyer-Jagenberg Oct. 4, 1955 2,740,575 Fontaine Apr. 3, 1956 

